— Dlaczego to wszystko? — zapytał Lu Chi.
— To wszystko przez tę sprawę z hotelem miłosnym — powiedział Pan C. — Zostało ujawnione kilka kluczowych faktów, a ja miałem okazję je zbadać. Poza tym, niektórzy ludzie, którzy zostali zmuszeni do odejścia bez odszkodowania, ujawnili więcej informacji.
Lu Chi zmarszczył brwi. Brzmiało to bardzo dwuznacznie. Nie był pewien, czy Pan C mówi o rzeczach, które należy ujawnić, czy o rzeczach, które powinny pozostać w ukryciu.
— Kiedy ludzie są postrzegani jako nic nie warci, ich opinie również stają się bezwartościowe — powiedział Pan C. — Nikt nie będzie ich szukał ani im nie uwierzy. Ale jeśli zaczniesz rozmawiać z ludźmi, wiedząc, że jesteś nikim, będziesz w stanie uzyskać więcej informacji.
Lu Chi poczuł, że zrobił się zimny. Pan C powiedział, że został odsunięty na bok i miał nadzieję, że będzie w stanie zebrać trochę informacji.
— Czy to cię martwi, panie Lu? — zapytał Pan C. — Nie martw się. W końcu to wszystko jest kwestią techniki. Kiedy już zaczniesz, łatwo będzie ci się tym zająć.
Lu Chi wzruszył ramionami. Wiedział, że nie powinien zbyt wiele mówić. Pan C był starszy i bardziej doświadczony od niego. Powinien po prostu słuchać.
Lu Chi zgodził się na współpracę z Panem C. Kiedy wrócili do biura, Pan C powiedział mu, że jego celem jest zebranie jak największej ilości informacji. Pan C powiedział Lu Chi, że musi trzymać się z dala od wszelkich problemów, jakichkolwiek problemów. Musiał upewnić się, że nie zostanie złapany.
Lu Chi wiedział, że to nie będzie łatwe zadanie. Będzie musiał być ostrożny i uważać, na co zwraca uwagę. Ale był gotów podjąć ryzyko, bo to wszystko było dla dobra sprawy.
szef powiedział mu, że nie spodziewał się, że Lu Chi będzie tak chętny do pomocy. Powiedział, że będzie musiał wziąć trochę czasu wolnego, aby to wszystko dopracować. Musiał też być ostrożny, aby nikt nie dowiedział się o jego udziale w tym wszystkim. Pan C wiedział, że jego reputacja jest na szali, a on nie mógł pozwolić sobie na porażkę.
Lu Chi przytaknął. Wiedział, że w końcu dostanie swoją szansę. Musiał tylko poczekać na odpowiedni moment.
Lu Chi czuł, że to dopiero początek. Był gotów zrobić wszystko, co konieczne, aby mieć pewność, że ta sprawa zostanie rozwiązana.
Lu Chi zapytał Pana C, czy może iść do domu. Pan C zgodził się i pozwolił mu odejść.
Lu Chi wrócił do domu i położył się do łóżka. Przez całą noc nie mógł zasnąć. Martwił się o to, co się miało wydarzyć. Wiedział, że jego życie nigdy nie będzie już takie samo.
Następnego dnia Lu Chi spotkał się z Panem C. Powiedział mu, że jest gotów rozpocząć pracę. Pan C był zadowolony i powiedział mu, że ma dla niego zadanie. Następnie Pan C powiedział Lu Chi, że będzie musiał zebrać jak najwięcej informacji o sprawie hotelu miłosnego. Musi też upewnić się, że nikt go nie przyłapie.
Lu Chi wiedział, że to nie będzie łatwe zadanie. Ale był gotów podjąć ryzyko. Wiedział, że to dla dobra sprawy.
Lu Chi zaczął zbierać informacje. Wkrótce odkrył, że sprawa hotelu miłosnego była znacznie bardziej skomplikowana, niż początkowo przypuszczano. Było w nią zaangażowanych wiele osób, a stawka była bardzo wysoka. Lu Chi wiedział, że musi być ostrożny, aby nie zostać wciągniętym w żadne kłopoty.
Lu Chi odkrył również, że jego celem był człowiek o imieniu Pan C. Okazało się, że Pan C był potężną postacią, a jego wpływy sięgały daleko. Lu Chi wiedział, że będzie musiał być bardzo ostrożny, pracując z Panem C.
Lu Chi kontynuował zbieranie informacji. Wkrótce odkrył, że Pan C był żądnym władzy człowiekiem, który był gotów zrobić wszystko, aby osiągnąć swoje cele. Lu Chi wiedział, że musi uważać na Pana C i nie pozwolić mu się oszukać.
Lu Chi kontynuował pracę nad sprawą. Musiał zebrać jak najwięcej informacji o Panu C i jego powiązaniach. Wiedział, że czas ucieka, a on musi działać szybko.
Lu Chi wiedział, że musi podjąć ryzyko. Chciał upewnić się, że sprawa zostanie rozwiązana. Był gotów zrobić wszystko, co konieczne. Wiedział, że jego życie nigdy nie będzie takie samo.
Lu Chi miał nadzieję, że w końcu uda mu się rozwiązać sprawę. Był gotów zrobić wszystko, co konieczne. Wiedział, że jego życie nigdy nie będzie takie samo.Słuchaj Xu przemówił spokojnie, ale twarz Han Yuana zamarła. Staring at the stern face opposite her, the scolding that was about to fly out of her mouth turned and turned in her throat, and she swallowed it back… Bullying was like picking at persimmons; you had to pick the soft ones. But He Xu wasn't soft. He was the sports representative of Class One, recognized by everyone as the best fighter, and rumored to have studied swordsmanship at a Martial Arts School since childhood and to be exceptionally close with Teacher Xiao Xie, calling him brother. Moreover, the kid was 183 cm tall. In an era of widespread malnutrition, that was definitely considered tall and strong… As Han Yuan hesitated, Lin Xiaoqian and Lu Fangfang quickly came forward to smooth things over. “Oh, we’re all classmates, a misunderstanding…” Lu Fangfang said with a fawning smile. Lin Xiaoqian took out a tissue and nimbly wiped away the saliva Han Yuan had spit out. Only then did He Xu release Han Yuan’s wrist. “He Xu!” Han Yuan, clutching her wrist, ran off to what she considered a “safe distance.” Turning back, she glared, “Don’t think you’re anyone just because you know a few delivery guys who happen to be village bumpkins. I’m telling you, it’s too late for you to apologize now. You’ve offended me, just you wait!” Without waiting for He Xu’s next move, she scurried off with Lin Xiaoqian and Lu Fangfang, disappearing in a flash… He Xu smiled amusingly and turned to leave. “Classmate.” Cheng Yanwan suddenly spoke from behind. “You, you’re called He Xu, right?” He Xu nodded, said nothing more to her, put on his shoe covers, and went straight to a machine. This was a trivial matter, and he didn’t intend to waste time chatting about it, as there was too much to investigate tonight… Finding a corner in Area E and selecting a fast computer, He Xu sat down and opened a webpage. Then he noticed two pairs of eyes constantly on him. One pair belonged to a janitor who repeatedly walked behind He Xu, his eyes occasionally scanning his screen… The other pair belonged to Cheng Yanwan. She kept looking over from the reception desk. Mid-way, she used a paper cup to get some water and placed it in front of He Xu’s desk. This action stunned the other computer users nearby—Cheng Yanwan was known as the Iceberg, almost never initiating conversation, so what was up today? Was the world really warming up, causing the iceberg to melt? He Xu, however, didn’t overthink it. He knew the poor campus beauty was extremely proud and didn’t want to speak, so she was using this method to subtly express her “thanks.” Not bad, the little girl was quite interesting… He Xu investigated many things throughout the night. First, he looked up online reports about yesterday’s love hotel case—most were mere speculation, each more absurd than the last. They always involved a sister-in-law or a mistress, focusing entirely on the lower half of the body, and barely even mentioning him as a delivery driver, which he found reassuring. Next, he looked up the strength, skills, prospects, and market demand of common awakening sequences. Then, very “coincidentally,” he looked up what these sequence awakenings looked like… Of course, [Li Bai] was among them. He Xu wouldn’t be foolish enough to search directly—the janitor behind him was clearly monitoring him, and his browsing history would definitely be examined by Sīmǎ Zhěn. He needed to put on a show of an ignorant person “craving to awaken what sequence in the future after learning about free awakening.” So he searched for every popular sequence, then very casually, looked up the awakening state of [Li Bai]. What surprised him was that the online descriptions of [Li Bai] were quite varied. Some said Li Bai would have a swirling aura upon awakening, while others said nothing happened, just a “sudden self,” with opinions divided. He Xu also noticed that more than one person online said their [Li Bai] awakened in a state of shock, fear, and anger. The most typical influential articles were titled: “Fired Without Compensation, I Slapped My Supervisor and Awakened [Li Bai]” “Caught Cheating, in a Fit of Rage I Transformed into [Li Bai], Directly Turning the Adulterer into a Eunuch” “Parents Played Favorites and Cut Me Off, After Becoming [Li Bai], I Became the Son-in-Law of a Triad Daughter” At first, seeing these Zhiyin-style titles, He Xu suspected they were just clickbait short stories, but there were no such articles for other sequences… He couldn’t help but wonder—could awakening [Li Bai] truly require being wronged and having some emotional outburst first? He Xu vaguely felt that this detail was extremely important and might directly influence Sīmǎ Zhěn’s judgment… It seemed he would have to wait until tomorrow to compare it with the results from Teacher Xiao Xie… In the blink of an eye, it was closing time. There were few people left in the library, and even the poor campus beauty at the reception, Cheng Yanwan, was nowhere to be seen. Glancing at the clock on the wall, He Xu realized he hadn’t moved for several hours and suddenly felt an urgent need to urinate. He dashed to the library’s men’s restroom and was about to relieve himself when… “You’re so arrogant now!” Han Yuan’s voice suddenly came from the adjacent women’s restroom— “You slut, you’re good at seducing men. Young Master Zhou is someone you fawn over, and you don’t refuse lowly losers like He Xu either, right?” “You cheap whore!” —Slap! A clear sound of a slap. Followed by the giggles of Lin Xiaoqian and Lu Fangfang. “I don’t know any Young Master Zhou, and I’m seeing He Xu for the first time today,” Cheng Yanwan’s voice rang out. “Classmate, your baseless accusations are utterly absurd.” “And resorting to violence only reveals your own character.” “Tch!” Han Yuan’s voice shrieked, “Cheng Yanwan, stop talking in that stilted tone, as if you’re the only one who studies well!” “Screeeech—” The sound of a utility knife being opened. “Cheng Yanwan, I’ll slash your face, and see if you still have the mood to study properly. Let’s see how you’ll seduce Zhou Chengye!” Han Yuan shrieked. Just then. —CRASH! The door of the women’s restroom was kicked open. He Xu walked in, sighing. Some things you really don’t want to get involved in. But once you do, you have to see it through. Han Yuan and the other two, who were brandishing the utility knife, were startled. Cheng Yanwan, surrounded by them, had a distinct red handprint on her fair face, and her white t-shirt was soaked with water. Seeing He Xu, Lin Xiaoqian and Lu Fangfang instinctively took a step back. Han Yuan, however, brandished the utility knife menacingly, threatening, “He Xu, this is none of your business, don’t meddle…” “Ah~~” He Xu snatched the utility knife away in one swift motion. Before the girls could even see his movement, the blade was already at Han Yuan’s throat. Han Yuan immediately shut up, not daring to shout. She trembled as she watched He Xu push the blade further and further. “He Xu, wait, wait! It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding…” Lin Xiaoqian quickly intervened. “Yuan Yuan was just trying to scare the poor campus beauty, ah, Cheng Yanwan, she was just joking with Yanwan~” “We’re all classmates, how could we really use a knife?” “Right, right,” Lu Fangfang chimed in, quickly adding, “We were just teasing her, no malice intended!” “Oh?” He Xu’s gaze playfully fixed on Han Yuan’s eyes: “Is that so?” Han Yuan’s face changed colors several times, turning red then pale. After a full half-minute, she bit her lip and said, “Yes, I… I was just joking with her…” “Since you’re unhappy, I won’t bother her again in the future. Is that okay?” He Xu put away the utility knife, and the three girls breathed a sigh of relief. However, He Xu pointed to the handprint on Cheng Yanwan’s face: “Cheng Yanwan.” “Han Yuan was just joking with you, you should joke back with her.” “It’s only fun if it’s back and forth.” Having said this, he looked intently at Cheng Yanwan. Having handled so many cases in his past life, He Xu understood very well that the most critical turning point in many school bullying cases was right now. If someone bullies you and you don’t fight back immediately, you’re finished. You’ll be bullied endlessly. Humans are calculating animals; they might bully orphans like Mao Mao, but no one bullies a boxer like Mike Tyson. Because the cost is too high, and you might die. Especially someone like Han Yuan, who bullies the weak and fears the strong; if she hits you, and you hit her back immediately, she’ll realize that bullying you is not cost-effective… Then she’ll turn her target to someone else. He Xu wanted Cheng Yanwan to slap Han Yuan back herself, to make Han Yuan understand that she wasn’t to be trifled with. However, retaliating against a thug required courage. Especially for someone who only knew how to solve problems. —Slap! Cheng Yanwan, without any hesitation, slapped Han Yuan across the face! Turning her head, she asked He Xu with a tone of seeking guidance: “Is this right?” The air in the women’s restroom seemed to freeze for a moment. Han Yuan and the other two were stunned. Han Yuan clutched her face, staring blankly at Cheng Yanwan, as if she were seeing her for the first time. The reason she dared to bully Cheng Yanwan was that she looked meek and didn’t have many friends, thinking she definitely wouldn’t dare to fight back if hit. She didn’t expect this person to act without hesitation and with full force! Han Yuan’s face burned with pain, and she felt like crying. It was too much, we’re all classmates, Cheng Yanwan, did you really have to? Slap me so hard! However, He Xu shook his head. He pointed at Han Yuan’s face, then at Cheng Yanwan’s face. “Yours has a red mark, hers doesn’t.” “Makes sense,” Cheng Yanwan nodded. —Slap! She raised her hand and slapped her again! “Hiss—” Han Yuan’s tears streamed down from the pain. But He Xu leaned closer, looked carefully. He shook his head again. “Still not red.” Lin Xiaoqian, standing nearby, got anxious: “No, He Xu.” “Cheng Yanwan is fair-skinned; her skin turns red easily. Han Yuan has darker skin, so it’s not easy for her face to turn red.” “You have to consider that…” However, He Xu ignored this suggestion. He gestured to Cheng Yanwan: “Keep going.” “Slap!” “Not red.” “Slap!” “Not red.” “Slap!” “Slap!” “Slap!” “Wuwuwu…” Han Yuan burst into tears, her cries echoing through the women’s restroom! She was having such a hard time. Half of her face was already swollen high, but it *still* wasn’t red! He Xu looked at Cheng Yanwan again, and she raised her hand, signaling: “I’m tired of hitting.” “Alright,” He Xu nodded, “We’ll carry over the rest for now.” “It’s closing time, let’s go.” Lin Xiaoqian and Lu Fangfang quickly helped the crying, tear-streaked Han Yuan and beat a hasty retreat. The group swiftly rushed out of the women’s restroom, and Han Yuan’s intermittent sobs could be heard in the corridor. “He, He Xu…” “You, you, *sob*, you…” “You wait for me, *sob sob sob*, you wait for me, my family is in organized crime, *sob sob sob*…” “Dada dada dada dada…” A burst of rapid footsteps. “Classmate He Xu…” Cheng Yanwan turned around, her slender, straight collarbone beneath her neckline exquisitely beautiful. Smoothing her waterfall-like long hair, she hesitated for a moment, about to speak. He Xu turned around instead. Cheng Yanwan was stunned: “Classmate He, where are you going?” “Men’s restroom.” He Xu’s urgent, trembling voice carried an urgency of impending bladder leakage. “I can’t hold it much longer.” …… ……